A huge blast that shook homes near Mill Creek overnight was carried out by a Washington State Patrol bomb squad after authorities found a large stash of dangerous explosives at the home of a suspect, sheriff's officials said.
The drama unfolded Tuesday evening after the State Patrol, sheriff's deputies and federal agents with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided the 19-year-old male suspect's residence in the Silver Lake area of Mill Creek.
A large amount of explosives, described as "commercial grade fireworks," were found inside the home. The suspect did not have a license for the explosives, said a State Patrol spokesperson.
Authorities determined the explosives were potentially volatile and not safe to transport for a long distance, so they were taken to the Cathcart Way Operations Center, a garbage dump facility south of Snohomish, and intentionally detonated, said Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Courtney O'Keefe.